Conrad Johnson Owners.com

Would be interesting to know CJ owners' experience with power conditioners.

I tried one the other day and was very disappointed .. a Wire Audio model..very solid and high quality build.. But took the glow out of the best recordings.. Cymbals sounded ok but piano sound was dry..

Will be able to audition another by P S Audio in a few days.. Will share my experience..

I think the benefit of power conditioners are highly variable from system to system. If you inherently have good clean power, it will probably make little difference. However, if you have significant fluctuations in voltage or line noise, it can make a VERY big difference. I think this is similar to using shielded RCA cables. If you are picking up a lot of RFI or EMI then shielding can be of great benefit, at the same time, I see people using silver cable in a teflon tube and they love the sound.

I personally use a rather inexpensive APC H15BLK AV 1.5kVA H Type Power Conditioner. I don't have any significant line noise to begin with, but I wanted something that would make sure the voltage remains stable (we do often have storms in our area), would provide surge protection to protect the gear, and it does offer "power conditioning". I had bought this unit and after 6 months it developed a problem with turning off. I contacted APC and they immediately sent a replacement unit out at no cost and just told me to ship back the defective unit in the same box. Very good customer service for a unit that was quite inexpensive (especially compared to most audiophile brands).

I think millage will vary depending on your inherent power supply and problems with line noise.

I've used various Furman power devices over the years.
They tend to be a bit more "industrial" or "professional" than "Audiophile" though.

I never really had any specific noise or power problems, main reason for using a power device was to have a central power connection point for all the gear, but more than that, a bit of protection from surges/lightening. Furman (and others) use the "Brick Wall"style surge protection. The models have various other features, current capability etc.
I currently use a 2400IT, which also provides "balanced" AC. I can't really state any improvement in Balanced vs Unbalanced AC though. Lots of good choices out there, I'd not hesitate a minute in recommending APC. And lots of Audiophile high-end power conditions to choose from also if desired.